XEL-HÁ LIGHTHOUSE: A 360° VIEW FROM UP ABOVE

The Xel-Há natural park recently opened a new attraction as part of its sustainable tourism recreational offer: The Scenic Lighthouse offers spectacular views of the Riviera Maya in an entirely natural environment.

The man behind this new icon in the Mexican Caribbean is architect Miguel Quintana Pali, who over the last 30 years has developed unique tourism concepts by taking advantage of the wealth of plants, geological features and marine life in the Yucatan Peninsula. Quintana Pali has been incredibly successful with an array of parks like Xcaret, Xel-Há, Xplor, Xplor Fuego, Xoximilco, Xenses and the Xenotes tour, which combined receive more than 3 million tourists each year.

The Xel-Há Scenic Lighthouse mimics a traditional lighthouse and serves as a guide for boats in the area. But it’s a whole lot more than that, visitors can climb the 40m high platform to fully appreciate the incredible views of the stunning cove with a body of water covering more than 14 hectares and a 70m inlet in front of the Caribbean Sea.

This is an extraordinary place as it feeds on the fresh water coming from the underground rivers and also the warm salt sea water. The 360-degree view from up above also allows visitors to soak up the beauty of the area and appreciate more than 60 hectares of Mayan jungle and the breathtaking blue ocean. “Sometimes there’s no need to look up if you want to find the sky,” says Quintana Pali, referring to the beauty of the site.

Emulating the traditional colours of the lighthouses with two caramel colours, the Xel-Há Lighthouse boasts four individual water slides that take visitors on an exciting adrenaline fuelled spiral descent for a refreshing dip in the natural pool.

Xel-Há is a unique natural wonder and an ideal spot for nature lovers with its cluster of coves, lagoons, cenotes and caves that feed on a mix of sea water and fresh water from some of the world’s longest underground rivers. The park is a paradise for snorkelers and the perfect spot to enjoy both onshore and offshore fun activities.